This is not good but I literally did this in half an hour so your submissions will be infinitely better and more exciting.
I had fun though and if I can do it, you can do it so much better!
Web Page
Website – Previous Students’ Work
StandardPlease take a look at the following student websites from other centres:
Find one that you like and then assess it using the following criteria:
- How accessible is the website?
- How easy is it to navigate?
- What information were you able to find out about the star?
- How did the branding of the website communicate a consistent brand image as portrayed in the music video and digipack?
- How far does the Website fulfil the audiences’ uses and gratifications (Blumler and Katz):
- Information
- Personal Identity
- Social Interaction
- Entertainment
Embed the website so that the examiner can see it too. Remember to cite specific examples from the website in your analysis and use the correct terminology for the technical forms and conventions.
Exploring Band Web Sites
StandardUnderstand the Media Form (Band Websites)
- What are the conventional pages & typical information on a music / band website?
User Experience
- Can the user find what they need / expect?
- How many clicks away from the home or splash page is the information and content?
- What is the call to action and how is that promoted on the site?
- What tools / experiences does the site offer?
Analyse the Design
- How does the design of the site reflect the brand image?
- How does the digipack and video design reflect in the website?
- Does the design and layout of the website suit the target audience?
- Is the design consistent across the pages?
Professional Examples
TASK
Create a Screencastify which explains, discusses and analyses one of the professional websites above.
Your voice over should cover:
- Navigation of the website
- The links to social media
- The content in the website
- The call to action and how that is evident in the site
- The design of the website in relation to their other media (video and digipack)
- How does it address AIDA – basic design principles of attraction, interest, desire and action?
- It should include the appropriate terminology for website conventions and forms.
Here is an example analysis from Mr G. Does he cover everything?
Website – the other ‘minor’ task
StandardNow that you have your Music Video and your Digipak which features the music video song, you need to design a website to promote the new video, digipak and the performer.
This is how the overall product is described in the CiE specification and below is also what they will be expecting to see in the research, planning, development and evaluation of the package, including the Website.
This website is going to pull all your branding, productions together and work as an online promotion for your performer.
First of all though, as with all Media Production – you need to know the ground rules – the basics; those technical terms to describe the media forms and analyse the conventions.
Now that you know the general ‘raison d’etre’ of websites and the basic terminology involved in their design, it is now your turn as an individual and as a group, to complete the following tasks over the next couple of weeks.
- Blog Post 1 – individual description and analysis of a couple of music websites and annotate for the technical forms and conventions (terminology).
- Use the glossary and terms from the above presentation.
- Blog Post 2 – a group Screencastify on a particular music website – describe its use of web page features and analysing it for meaning linked to star image & branding. Use the terminology.
- Blog Post 3 – an individual analysis of previous student’s work.
- Blog Post 4 – a group flow chart showing how your website will work in terms of pages and a discussion about your preferred and chosen platform (Wix, Weebly or Divi).
You can then find a free template on Wix, Weebly or design your own on Divi (if you are in Mr Gs online portfolio class) and get creative.
Everything needs to be done by half-term so that when we come back after half-term we can complete the final Creative Critical Reflections.
Good luck.
Photographic Inspiration
StandardThis website has lots of ideas from artists and media makers around the world. It might just offer you some inspiration for your MES – remember simple but meaningful use of MES could make all the difference: some broken plates, antique books, a bright red balloon, tattered armchair, sleek hair do, interesting window frame, bright red lipstick, beaten up car etc.
However, be careful not to over stretch yourself. Look at previous student’s work and see what is likely and possible. You may have to ‘cut your cloth’ (plan one’s aims and activities in line with one’s resources and circumstances) and do something simple and brilliantly as opposed to attempt something spectacular but badly.
Here are some links to some specific pages that could whet your appetite:
Digipak Genre and Moodboard
Standard- After considering how genre is reflected in the design of a Digipak, you will now have to create your own individual moodboard to collate ideas for your Digipak cover.
- As a group you will then reflect on your own ideas and choose aspects of them to follow through to a Digipak mock up as the next task.
Remember you are creating an album cover for the band/performer – not just the song you have done your music video for, although this will feature in the song list.
You should consider all of the following and find images, ideas to illustrate the feel of the Digipak design. We do not want it just to be a printed board though this time; it will require you to be experimental, creative and consider the overall vibe, feel, image, ideologies of the band/performer.
- Images – MES, locations, characters, designs, graphics, illustrations, photos etc
- Typefaces
- Colour Schemes
- Inspirational Digipacks – something similar?
- Logos
- Copy Ideas – text etc.
LOOK AROUND FOR INSPIRATION – DON’T JUST GOOGLE! and add in BUZZ words.
REREAD YOUR MISSION STATEMENT – THE BOARD SHOULD REFLECT THAT USP, THEIR VIBE, THEIR BRAND.
This moodboard should be 3D so should include collage material that you stick on to it and then take a photograph and embed on to your blog. Include textures i.e. leaves, material, objects, artefacts that all help connote, communicate the brand identity of the album.
For example a piece of stone might indicate that the star is urban, hard, aggressive, modern whilst a piece of red velvet might communicate the star is self-indulgent, arrogant, wealthy, extravagant. The more you think about the star’s brand, image the easier this will be.
LOOK AROUND FOR INSPIRATION – DON’T JUST GOOGLE! and add in BUZZ words for a busy, brainstorm of exciting ideas – you can annotate directly onto the board or once you have taken a photo of it for inclusion in your blog, you can annotate in indesign or photoshop.
- Colour Scheme Designer (Mixes colours and find complementary ones)
- Colour Lovers ( a brilliant site with pallettes hex codes (copy and paste in Photoshop)
- Flikr (great images)
- Pintrest (good for typefaces, textures, design ideas…)
- Behance (Lots of portfolios of work from inspirational creatives)
- Typography to inspire (100 great pieces of typography to feed your inspiration)
LOOK AROUND FOR INSPIRATION – DON’T JUST GOOGLE! and add in BUZZ words for a busy, brainstorm of exciting ideas.
The overall feel does not mean that if there is lace on the moodboard or a leaf, that you will have to include that on your digipak cover – but the feel, imagery, ideas, connotations will transfer over.
HAVE SOME FUN!
Your Album Brand & Mission Statement
Standard
Remember the brief?
A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music video (major task), together with a website for the band and a digipak for the album’s release (minor tasks).
It is important to note from the beginning that you are not making a digipack and website to advertise your music video! You are launching a new album, which contains that song, but which also contains a number of other tracks.
So before you start planning the print and web elements of this promotional package. You need to be clear about the mission statement for the whole campaign. You must think more holistically about the album and create an integrated advertising campaign…
Your Marketing Strategy & Mission Statement
Who is your Audience?
- Who they are (demographics)
- What other media they consume and participate in.
- What their values attitudes and beliefs (ideology / psychographics)
A Call to Action
- How do you want the audience to engage with your star / album
- How will they invest time and money in your star / album
Who are the competition?
- Name three similar bands / artists.
- What are the trends in album designs of similar stars / bands?
- What does their website look like?
Your USP (Unique Selling Point)
- Is your star already established or are trying to establish a new presence in the market?
- What is your star image & how are you trying to innovate / develop that image?
- Are you mixing up elements of different genres?
- Are you trying to re-brand your star?
- Are you emphasising the ordinary or extraordinary?
- Remember according to Dyer meta narratives include both.
Your Mission Statement.
- In 50 words or fewer write an agreed mission statement that includes the central idead that will unify your brand.
- This will include ideas represented in your music video, but must also bring in a wider range of ideas that you will develop as you make your 3D Moodboard.
TASK.
Complete this mission statement in production groups and copy it into your blog.
This blog post is essential for when you come to complete Creative Critical Reflection 2.
How do the elements of your production work together to create a sense of ‘branding’?
Star Image – Representation
StandardIT’S ALL ABOUT THE STAR IMAGE!
How the star/band/performer is represented in your video and on the digipak and website is crucial in constructing the values, attitudes and beliefs of the artist in the mind of the target audience.
REPRESENTATION, AUDIENCE AND OWNERSHIP ARE COMPLETELY INTERTWINED CONCEPTS!
WHAT IS THE INSTITUTIONAL PURPOSE OF A MUSIC VIDEO?
Music videos are made primarily to promote the star, in order to sell their music, in order to make money…well mostly!
They are also constructed to construct a set of desires in the target audience to be like them, think like them, love what they love, be involved in their lives & buy what they suggest.
There are huge synergies between marketing and star image! We don’t just buy a product we also buy into the values of the star image and in purchasing their product emulate them. Media representations of the star image is crucial in terms of raising an audience awareness.
STARS SHOULD BE STUDIED AND ANALYSED LIKE ANY OTHER TEXT!
They are essentially walking talking brands, who use their branding to advertise, publicise and sell to fans. Stars have to remain constantly interesting to keep the fans intrigued – the star image evolves and is constantly reinvented by media companies! In fact Stars could be seen as its own special kind of ‘species’.
RICHARD DYER
Richard Dyer Handout
Richard Dyer is a theorist you need to learn about. He came up with some concepts about how ‘star image’ works in the media. The link to the concepts booklet is in the menu at the top of the blog. Find it, add it to your drive, print it, LEARN IT!
TASK
CREATE A ONLINE CONCEPT BOARD IN PINTEREST/GOMOODBOARD STAR IMAGE (you can use any other collage app of your choice but you must be able to annotate the images you upload to it).
Your task is to take the ‘star’ (performer, duet, band, group…) you analysed when you did the genre analysis and create a ‘concept board’ on how they are ‘represented‘.
Find examples of news stories, incidents, events, digipak covers, music videos, articles, blogs, tweets that all contribute to their ‘star image’. The way they are represented is called their ‘metanarrative‘ (over arching story about them).
And remember, just as you do in your TV drama analysis – you must add ADJECTIVES to how they appear through that particular event, story, picture etc. You can do this task as a group but must all equally contribute to the page.
This is a link to an excellent example. You should have at least 15 – 20 images and comments.
Genre analysis
StandardTASK (this is collaborative so you can submit the same document but you all have to equally contribute).
Victoria Sponge! One way of remember what ‘genre’ is all about.
Create a Slideshow with a voice-over or a Voicethread focusing on the Repertoire of Elements necessary for your particular band /artist to be generically conventional. You could also use Screencastify to record your voice over. You can then embed it in your blog. You could also mention print design. You can probably already use a lot of your ideas from your song pitch but be careful not to just copy this but instead use it as a foundation for exploring the genre of your song and how this will impact on the video, web pages and digipak.
Some of the suggested areas of music videos to cover are on this sheet but you should consider:
- Website of similar artists
- Album art from similar artists
- Videos of similar artists
Find generically similar artists.
- Discuss who they are, what do they wear, how do they style themselves, where do they perform, who are their fans, how are their digipaks / videos similar, what common features are there in their music videos (fast paced editing, hand held camera, filters, locations, authentic/live performances, produced performances etc). Use your performer too in among the analysis.
Use this document to structure your slideshow
Ensure you get the following terms in to your presentation and also your introduction and reflect on the value of the task in the blog:
- Repertoire of elements
- Conventions
- Blueprint
- Predictable pleasure
- Contract
- Label
- Target audience
Consider ‘genre’ as you produce your video and it will be so much easier to talk about if it comes up in the exam in Section 1b.